21 DAYS OF PRAYER
Join us as we kick off this year with prayer and connection with God.
Prayer is a great gift from God that brings Peace, Wisdom, and His Blessings into our lives. 21 Days of Prayer will help teach you how to pray and how to experience God's favor on your life so His love can move through you to others. Join us New Year's Day for the launch of 21 Days of Prayer and to pick up your prayer guide.
HOW TO USE THIS GUIDE
We don’t have to follow a specific formula to talk with God, but practicing different ways to pray can help us find deeper purpose and connection to Him through our prayer time.
This is designed to give you a couple prayer models to guide you in prayer. As you pray, focus on the process the model reveals, giving yourself time to pray intentionally. If your mind wanders, use the model to restore your focus.
The goal of using this guide is not to add pressure or overwhelm you. The goal is simply to get comfortable with different biblical models of prayer and for your prayer life to become more natural, effective, and enjoyable. To make your prayer time even more meaningful, you can write notes and prayer requests and play worship music. The important step is committing to regularly entering God’s presence through prayer.
CREATING A LIFESTYLE OF PRAYER
Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where He prayed. MARK 1:35
Prayer is most effective when it isn’t something we do every now and then, but when it’s a lifestyle we cultivate. To understand how to have a lifestyle of prayer, we can look at the example Jesus gave during His life on earth.
HAVE A CERTAIN TIME
Jesus got up early in the morning to spend time with His Heavenly Father. Make a daily appointment with God — whether it’s first thing in the morning, at lunch, or in the evening — and faithfully keep it.
HAVE A CERTAIN PLACE
Jesus had a specific place He went to pray. Having a designated place to pray helps us remove distractions and frees us to worship and pray out loud.
HAVE A CERTAIN PLAN
When Jesus taught His disciples how to pray, He gave them a prayer outline. We call it “The Lord’s Prayer.” As we pray every day, our plans for our prayer time can vary, maybe including worship music, Bible reading, and quiet time to listen to God. It doesn’t always have to look the same; it just helps when we have a plan for connecting regularly with God.
THE LORD'S PRAYER
The Lord’s Prayer is often recited in churches or at religious events, but there’s so much more to this prayer. Jesus provided this model as an outline to teach us how to pray in a way that connects us to God and empowers us to accomplish great things through Him. This model takes us through each part of The Lord’s Prayer, showing us how to pray the way Jesus instructed.
One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When He finished, one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray…”
LUKE 11:1
“Our Father in Heaven, hallowed be Your Name. Your Kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.”
MATTHEW 6:9 - 13 NK JV
FASTING GUIDANCE
Fasting is one of the Spirit’s tools for strengthening and transforming grace in our lives. This spiritual practice is a gift from God meant to grow us and draw us into a deepening relationship with Him. If you do not already know this power and the importance of fasting, here are some insights drawn from God’s Word and personal experience to get you started:
- Fasting was an expected practice in both the Old and New Testament eras. For example, Moses fasted for at least two recorded 40-day periods. Jesus fasted 40 days and reminded His followers to fast. He said, “When you fast,” not, “If you fast” (Matthew 6:16).
- Fasting and prayer can restore the loss of your “first love” for the Lord (Revelation 2:4) and result in a more intimate relationship with Christ.
- Fasting is a biblical way to truly humble yourself in the sight of God (Ezra 8:21). King David said, “I ... humbled myself with fasting” (Psalm 35:13, NIV).
- Fasting enables the Holy Spirit to reveal your true spiritual condition, resulting in brokenness, repentance and a transformed life.
- Through fasting, the Holy Spirit will imprint God’s Word deeper on your heart, and His truth will become more meaningful to you.
- Fasting can transform your prayer life into a richer and more personal experience.
- Fasting can result in a dynamic personal revival and make you a channel of life change to others.
If you fast, you will find yourself being humbled. You will discover more time to pray and seek God’s face. And as He leads you to recognize and repent of unconfessed sin, you will experience God’s grace to grow and mature you.
How you begin and conduct your fast will largely determine your success. By following these seven basic steps to fasting, you will make your time with the Lord more meaningful and spiritually rewarding.
Step 1: Set an Objective for Your Fast
Why are you fasting? Is it for spiritual renewal? For guidance? For healing? For the resolution of problems? For special grace to handle a difficult situation? Ask the Holy Spirit to clarify what He wants you to take away from this time. This will enable you to pray more specifically and strategically.
Through fasting and prayer, we humble ourselves before God so the Holy Spirit will stir our souls, awaken our churches and heal our land according to 2 Chronicles 7:14. Make this a priority in your fasting.
Step 2: Commit to Your Fast
Pray about the kind of fast you should undertake. Jesus implied that all of His followers should fast (Matthew 6:16-18; 9:14-15). For Him, it was a matter of when, not if, believers would fast. Before you fast, decide the following:
- How long you will fast — one meal, one day, three days, or more.
- The type of fast God wants you to undertake. Examples are water only or water and juices, as well as what kinds of juices you will drink and how often. A media fast from phones and television is a great way to focus spiritual attention to the Lord.
- What physical or social activities you will restrict.
- How much time each day you will devote to prayer and God’s Word.
Making these commitments ahead of time, write them down and share them with someone you trust. This helps you sustain your fast when physical temptations and life’s pressures tempt you to abandon it.
Step 3: Prepare Yourself Spiritually
The foundation of fasting and prayer is repentance. Unconfessed sin will hinder your prayers. Here are several things you can do to prepare your heart:
- Ask God to help you make a comprehensive list of your sins.
- Confess every sin that the Holy Spirit reminds you of and accept God’s forgiveness (1 John 1:9).
- Seek forgiveness from anyone you have offended and forgive anyone who has hurt you (Mark 11:25; Luke 11:4; 17:3-4).
- Make amends with people as the Holy Spirit leads you, unless it will hurt them or others.
- Ask God to fill you with His Holy Spirit according to His command in Ephesians 5:18 and His promise in 1 John 5:14-15.
- Surrender your life fully to Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and refuse to obey your worldly nature (Romans 12:1-2).
- Meditate on the attributes of God — His love, sovereignty, power, wisdom, faithfulness, grace, compassion and other qualities (Psalm 48:9-10; 103:1-8, 11-13).
- Begin your time of fasting and prayer with an expectant heart (Hebrews 11:6).
- Do not underestimate spiritual opposition. Satan sometimes intensifies the natural battle between body and spirit (Galatians 5:16-17).
Step 4: Prepare Yourself Physically
Fasting requires reasonable precautions. If you are fasting from solid food, consider consulting your physician first, especially if you take prescription medication or have a chronic ailment. Some people should never fast without professional supervision.
If you are fasting from food, physical preparation makes the drastic change in your eating routine a little easier so you can turn your full attention to the Lord in prayer. Remember the following:
- Do not rush into your fast.
- Prepare your body. Eat smaller meals before starting a fast.
- Avoid high-fat and sugary foods.
- Eat raw fruits and vegetables for two days before starting a fast.
Your time of fasting and prayer has come. Here are some helpful suggestions to consider if you are fasting from solid food:
- Limit your physical activity and exercise only moderately.
- Prepare yourself for temporary mental discomforts, such as impatience, crankiness, and anxiety.
- Expect some physical discomforts, especially on the second day. You may have fleeting hunger pains or dizziness. Withdrawal from caffeine and sugar may cause headaches. Physical annoyances may also include weakness, tiredness, or sleeplessness.
Fasting is about sincerely humbling yourself before the Lord. It provides time to repent, pray, seek God’s face, and meditate on His Word. As you do this, you will experience a heightened awareness of His presence (John 14:21).
The Lord will give you fresh spiritual insights. Your confidence and faith in God will be strengthened. You will feel mentally, spiritually and physically refreshed. You will see answers to your prayers.
A single fast, however, is not a spiritual cure-all. Just as we need fresh infillings of the Holy Spirit daily, we also need new times of fasting before God. A 24-hour fast each week has been greatly rewarding to many Christians.
It takes time to build your spiritual fasting muscles. If you fail to make it through your first fast, do not be discouraged. You may have tried to fast too long the first time out, or your may need to strengthen your understanding and resolve. As soon as possible, undertake another fast until you do succeed. God will honor you for your faithfulness.
A Sample Schedule for your Fast
For maximum spiritual benefit, set aside ample time to be alone with the Lord. Listen for His leading. The more time you spend with Him, the more meaningful your fast will be.
Morning
- Begin your day in praise and worship.
- Read and meditate on God’s Word, preferably on your knees.
- Invite the Holy Spirit to work in you to will and to do His good pleasure according to Philippians 2:13.
- Invite God to use you. Ask Him to show you how to influence your world, your family, your church, your community, your country and beyond.
- Pray for His vision for your life and empowerment to do His will.
Noon
- Return to prayer and God’s Word.
- Take a short prayer walk.
- Spend time in intercessory prayer for leaders in your community and nation, for the world’s unreached millions, for your family or for special needs.
Evening
- Get alone for an unhurried time of “seeking His face.”
- If others are fasting with you, meet together for prayer.
- Avoid television or any other distraction that may dampen your spiritual focus.
When possible, begin and end each day on your knees with a brief time of praise and thanksgiving to God.
If you are fasting from solid food, A healthy dietary routine is vital as well. Dr. Julio C. Ruibal — a nutritionist, pastor and specialist in fasting and prayer — suggests a daily schedule and list of juices you may find useful and satisfying. Modify this schedule and the drinks you take to suit your circumstances and tastes.
5 a.m. - 8 a.m.: Fruit juices, preferably freshly squeezed or blended and diluted in 50% distilled water if the fruit is acid. Apple, pear, grapefruit, papaya, watermelon or other fruit juices are generally preferred. If you cannot do your own juicing, buy juices without sugar or additives
10:30 a.m. - 12 p.m.: Fresh vegetable juice made from lettuce, celery and carrots in three equal parts.
2:30 p.m. - 4 p.m.: Herb tea with a drop of honey. Avoid black tea or any tea with caffeine.
6 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.: Broth made from boiling potatoes, celery and carrots with no salt. After boiling about half an hour, pour the water into a container and drink it.